IS THE 2026 EMMA O'KANE BURSARY IN YOUR NAME?  APPLY NOW 

The Emma O’Kane Bursary is an award for independent artists who want to think beyond the boundaries of their art form and practice and to explore dance or a physical language in their work.  It honours the exceptional ethos and artistic practice of artist Emma O’Kane who died in 2021.

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‘Go big or go home’ was an Emma expression. She would say it to encourage (and challenge) those she worked with to be ambitious and brave about what they wanted to achieve artistically. Emma believed in people’s potential and in trying things out. She was never afraid of failure. The purpose of the bursary, why it exists and its unique contribution to artists, aims to capture this essence. 

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The bursary is open to professional artists of all types and talents living on the island of Ireland. Whatever your background, lived experience or artistic practice, if you have the CURIOSITY to explore and integrate dance, movement or other forms of physical language in your work, the COURAGE to push art form boundaries and to challenge norms and the AMBITION to be the best that you can be as an artist, we would love to hear from you. 

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Find out how to apply

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